Israel’s Demand for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.^{(A) 2} His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.^{(B) 3} However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.^(C)

⁴ So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.^{(D) 5} They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”^(E)

⁶ When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.^(F)

Jesus Faces Pilate

15 As^(A) soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders,^(B) scribes,^(C) and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests^(D) tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.^(E)

² So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king^(F) of the Jews?”^(G)

He answered him, “You say so.”

³ And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ Pilate^(H) questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” ⁵ But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

Jesus or Barabbas

⁶ At^(I) the festival^(J) Pilate^(K) used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder^(L) during the rebellion.^{(M) 8} The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. ⁹ Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king^(N) of the Jews^(O) for you?” ¹⁰ For he knew it was because of envy^(P) that the chief priests had handed him over. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. ¹² Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³ Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴ Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.